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Pizza Cheese Evaluation Guide

Pizza Cheese Evaluation Guide. Importance of Cheese to a Pizzeria Owner. Cheese can account for 30% to 50% of a pizzeria’s food cost. Think about that. . What do all pizzeria owners have in common?. They love pizza. They all have a different opinion about the cheese on their pizza. .

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Pizza Cheese Evaluation Guide

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  1. Pizza Cheese Evaluation Guide

  2. Importance of Cheese to a Pizzeria Owner Cheese can account for 30% to 50% of a pizzeria’s food cost. Think about that.

  3. What do all pizzeria owners have in common? • They love pizza. • They all have a different opinion about the cheese on their pizza.

  4. So, Which Cheese is Best? • The “best” cheese is the one that cooks and tastes the way the pizzeria owner prefers • You can key in on the exact cheese if you know the key questions to ask regarding • Applications • Cook conditions • Service method • Appearance target • Flavor target • Cost

  5. Basics of Pizza Cheese Specifications In the broadest definition, pizza cheese is any cheese that can be placed on a pizza.

  6. Mozzarella Cheese • Mozzarella cheese is limited to a government definition regarding ingredients and specifications. • Pizza industry experts advise pizzeria owners to add modified food starch to prevent cheese from clumping after shredding.

  7. Pizza Cheese In the case of Ottimo Pizza Cheese 6 pound blocks made by Leprino, the cheese is Real® cheese, made with mozzarella and modified food starch, added to prevent caking upon shredding.

  8. Considerations – Applications Cheese will perform differently in different applications. The pizza style, other ingredients, and order of ingredients will affect the cheese appearance and flavor. Pizza cheese is generally mild and can be used as a vehicle for other flavors, or stand on its own. • Pizza – Style • Deep dish • Thin crust • Stuffed – Chicago style • Calzone • Other ingredients – dough, sauce, toppings, etc • Order of ingredients – cheese before toppings or after

  9. Considerations – Ovens The type of oven, temperature of bake, and bake time will all affect the cheese performance. Time and temperature can be adjusted to encourage the cheese to perform in different ways. The longer the time, the higher the temperature, and the closer to the heat source, the more the cheese will blister and release oil greatly affecting mouth feel and melt. • Conveyor/Impingement • Home (Take ‘n’ Bake) • Deck /Wood fire • Convection

  10. Considerations – Service Method Time of order to time of dining can affect the appearance, performance, and flavor of the cheese. Over time, some mozzarella can become translucent or opaque, making it undesirable to the customer who has expectations for a creamy, white appearance. Flavor of the ingredients and toppings meld together the longer the time between cooking and dining. • Delivery/Carry-out – time and travel factors • By-the-slice - heat lamps and reheating • Take & Bake – appealing raw appearance • Dine-in – out of the oven appeal • Buffet – heat lamps

  11. Considerations – Performance Characteristics Bake appearance is subject to the individual preferences of the pizzeria owner. You’ll find that for each of the points below, there is a range of ideal targets. Find out the preferences of the pizzeria owner, and you’ll be closer to finding the right cheese for them.

  12. Considerations – Performance Characteristics • Blisters – size, consistency, coverage, color • Yield – amount of area covered by the cheese • Melt – the stretch factor • Color – creamy white • Oil release – droplets vs pools

  13. Bad Mozzarella • Uneven size and coverage of blisters • Shred or dice still apparent after cooking • Excessive oil pooling • Grainy mouth feel • Off flavors • Color is yellow, orange, or changes to opaque while cooling • No stretch right out of oven – as cheese cools, stretch will naturally decrease

  14. Reasons for product differences • Processing technology/expertise • Plant location/milk supply • Cheese performance consistency every day • Age of cheese/shelf life • Specifications • Fat • Moisture • Ingredients

  15. Pizza Cheese - Cutting Process • Assure blind test by having non-interested party prepare both pizzas while keeping the identity of the cheese applied to each pizza secret until the end of the test. • Prepare identical sauce and dough • Weight and product • Measure cheese for identical weight • Ensure identical cook conditions • Time and Temperature • Location in oven • Pan, screen and other equipment • Have customer identify which pizza they prefer and why • Disclose the cheese used on each of the pizzas

  16. Review • Pizza cheese opinions are subjective • Pizza cheese specifications • Considerations • Applications • Oven • Service method • Performance characteristics • Cutting procedure

  17. Q & A

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